A "Bad console"?

[kainemaxwell]

Is there really such a thing as a "bad console"?

[chocobokick]

Sure, don't you read Penny Arcade?

[kainemaxwell]

Great, once again I try to post a good topic and it dies..

[buttasuperb]

this isnt that good of a topic.

anyways, the virtual boy is a shitty system.

[scooterb23]

y'know, a topic isn't dead after just 45 minutes man...give it a chance. Perhaps you could tell us why you ask? Or give an opinion?? That may help get the ball rolling.

I'll state that at the outset, every console is inherently good. It's what the companies do with the system that makes it good or bad. For example, most people call the Game.com a bad system. But I enjoy it. Granted, companies tries to do too much with it (Mortal Kombat Trilogy? Duke Nukem 3D??? Come on people!) But it had a nice solitaire game, some rudimentary PDA functionality, and a built in high score board!!

It did several things good, I really like the game show adaptations, and games like Lights Out and Henry are wonderful on that system. But the game makers tried to do too much with the system, and made a lot of horrible games. Is the system bad, no. But what the game makers did with the system was bad.

[Raccoon Lad]

If the Tiger R-Zone counts as a console, then I think it would unanimously be decided as the worst one. Maybe there should be a poll, if there is, include the action max system too.

[CrazyImpmon]

Game.com deserves this dishonorable mention.

[Arrrhalomynn]

Yeah, the Game.Com is really disgusting.
I don't like the Nintendo64 either.

[kainemaxwell]

Reason i asked was I was wondering on this out of the blue. Maybe it was from talking to Achika about the DC, or Jessi about the N64, but I just felt this would be an intresting question to pose to the board.

To me, no console is made bad, it's just a matte rof the games and quality of them, marketing, the competition and if the system is flooded with ports or cookie-cutter games.

[WiseSalesman]

I don't think the N64 was that bad of a system. It didn't have a lot of quality games, but I think it had enough to redeem it. Furthermore, the N64 controller is still the most comfortable controller I've ever held (at least, as long as you were using the stick).

[mauigamer]

The Nintendo 64 has been getting a bad rap for the last couple years. To me its all blown out of proportion. The controller is not that bad and it has a lot of great games. Some people just like to put things down to make themselves feel better. There was no way to talk shit about the NES or Super NES so as soon as Nintendo doesn't do "as well" people jump all over the company.

[Keir]

I'm with scooter. I think the Game.com is a fairly good system, but with bad games. A system must be bad on its own, not based on its support (or lack thereof). Very few systems are truly bad in that regard. Even the early pong machines did what little they could do fairly well, so I couldn't even call them bad.

[Neil Koch]

I would say Virtual Boy, because any system that gives its' users splitting headaches earns a "suck" rating in my book. Other than that, I don't really think there is a bad console out there.

I think the N64 is kind of underrated also, the wrestling games were the best in the US, excellent FPS's and a lot of exclusive games like Blast Corps which were cool. The carts were too expensive though, one of the major reasons it got bitchslapped by the PS is because they couldn't compare $60-70 carts to $30-40 CDs.

[scooterb23]

I actually really like the Virtual Boy...I always play with the automatic pause on though...it makes you stop playing every few minutes...I like having that safety feature included.

Especially after I forgot to leave it on the first time I got it, playing Mario Tennis for 2 hours straight is not a good idea...

[kainemaxwell]

I'll agree with ya on the N64. the controller is one th emost comfortable I've use din awhile, and among all the bad games there are some great stand-out titles and other titles that are worth buying if you just look for them.

[Captain Wrong]

There's no such thing as a bad console, only bad owners.

Or something like that.

[kainemaxwell]

In reality also every company that tries to bring out a console does so with the bes tintentions and the best technology they can for said console. The games are built around the technology for that console too.

[den68]

I don't think there is such a thing as a bad console. I find something I really enjoy about all the systems I own even the ones that are generally slammed like the Game.com and Virtual Boy.

I imagine my opinion might be different if I had payed full price for any of these. Crappy games or a small library for something I paid a lot for would probably piss me off. But for thrift store or clearance sale finds they are quite good. Of course anything is more enjoyable if you got it cheap.

I guess TECHNICALLY the R-Zone is a console but it's REALLY just a glorified LCD handheld. But I like the Tiger LCD games and my R-Zone as well. But again it's cool for the $3 bucks I spent.

[chazbeenhad]

Depends on a point of view I guess...........

To me the N64 after Mario was a POS.

For my 4 year old son those Pokemon games are rockin! :-)

Charlie

[Arcade Antics]

When I spot a bad console, I just whack it with a rolled up newspaper. "Bad console, bad console!"

Some of the "least good" systems:

R-Zone: gets my vote for the second worst.

Action Max: attach drool cup to chin, stare at bad video, police light. What the hell kind of Lovecraftian atrocity is this thing? Makes the R-Zone look appealing.